So you've had a bad day....

Que Daniel Powter. 

But seriously, I have had the longest string of "bad days" that I've ever experienced. Does anyone else ever have those days/weeks where they feel like absolutely nothing can go right? 

I've had one bad thing happen after another for the past three weeks (roughly— I try not to keep a solid count, as I would more than likely wind up more upset). Between job hunting and constantly being told no, to things that I've had to handle in my personal life, to my nerve racking car accident; I just want to cry. 

I didn't, and still don't, intend for this to be a place for complaints and self-pity. However, I do want to share how I've turned myself into a less emotional person when reacting to bad days, and how I try really hard to turn them into positives.

TIME OUT! 

I know this sounds totally kindergarten, and you can probably imagine your childhood nanny or teacher reminding you to "take a time out" of you're mad or "punch a pillow" if you're frustrated. They were 100% accurate about the time out, but I have bad news about the punching bag. You can't really be in your twenties and carry around a pillow to hit you're mad. As awesome as that sounds for multipurpose use (ie: taking a nap anywhere or having a more comfortable seat than anyone else in the room), there's no way you can be taken seriously carrying a sack of feathers around. 

First thing I try to do is not react at all. When something happens, no matter how devastating, I have learned to just shut my mouth and walk away. My bed, my blankets, and Mad Men have easily become my best friends these last few weeks. 

Once I've given myself time to relax, I try to think about all different sides of the situations and all of the different outcomes. This kind of drives me crazy sometimes, and I think it has seriously desensitized me from a lot of emotions, but I am okay with it. I'd rather be confident in my own conflict resolution skills with myself, so that when I use them with other people I know that they will work....hopefully. 

Once I spend hours sometimes days, thinking about whatever it is I've experienced, I confront it. It may take me a lot of time and thinking. I may even ignore the parties involved, or come off as distant and insensitive, but I need my alone time to figure it out. 

Pressure is something I enjoy. Until it becomes something I know I won't be able to handle without getting emotional or vicious. Many of the things that are going on have caused me to lose sleep at night, and even become sick. I've realized one thing— it's not worth it. So I'm promising myself, especially during this Lenten season, to find the positives in every single day. 

How do you handle your bad days? I need more positive reinforcement!